STATE BASKETBALL: Rough time for Riders in Yakima’s SunDome against ATM

Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, March 4, 2026

YAKIMA — Beaten badly on the boards, Port Angeles put up a fight defensively but still made a quick exit from the Class 2A state girls basketball tournament in a 53-29 loss to No. 5-seed Archbishop Thomas Murphy on Wednesday at the Yakima Valley SunDome.

The loss wrapped the Roughriders’ season at 18-7 overall.

Boasting eight players taller than 5-foot-8 and led by Santa Clara University commit Brooke Blachly, the Wildcats repeatedly turned Port Angeles over in the first quarter while controlling the offensive glass in building up a 20-4 lead after one quarter.

“We do not have the body types to play with that level of physicality,” Roughriders coach Michael Poindexter said. “Our rebounding was nearly nonexistent against a big, strong athletic team.”

Blachly, who eclipsed the 2,000-point mark for her career this season to become Archbishop Murphy’s all-time leading scorer, was a menace offensively, finding space to slip past the Riders’ man-to-man defense and get inside for layups. She finished with a game-high 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting.

“I thought Becca Manson did a heroic job with her,” Poindexter said. “I was happy with how we guarded her, with help from London Bourland and others off the bench.”

Port Angeles eliminated most of the self-imposed errors in the second quarter, but couldn’t keep the Wildcats off of the boards — resulting in Archbishop Murphy holding a 36-14 rebounding advantage at the break, with 23 of those boards coming on the offensive glass. All told, the Wildcats outrebounded Port Angeles 58-29.

“Other than rebounding, our problems were all offensive,” Poindexter said. “In order to stay with them we needed to hit some 3s today and we were 2-of-19.”

The Roughriders did well to limit Archbishop Murphy to 28 percent shooting in the opening frames but all those extra shooting opportunities led to a 30-9 Wildcats lead at halftime.

Port Angeles played Archbishop evenly after halftime, particularly in the third quarter, but the damage had been done.

“We told them the first half is what it was, but to be their best selves in the second half and I was proud of them. We hung with them in the second half,” Poindexter said.

Archbishop Murphy had a thorough scouting report on the Riders, with the Wildcats paying extra attention to senior scoring leaders Teanna Clark and Lindsay Smith.

Clark, the Olympic League Defensive MVP, lived up to her billing on that end with five blocks and two steals along with seven rebounds, but was shadowed all game offensively and forced to shoot a number of layup attempts with her off hand. She went 0-for-9 from the floor and didn’t score.

“She did everything she could have in this game,” Poindexter said. “They blanketed Teanna Clark like a straitjacket, she had no room to breathe offensively being guarded by a much bigger (6-footer] athlete in [Kani] Cham. We had the same intent on Blachly but we weren’t holding and grabbing.”

Smith also was hounded whenever she touched the ball and had a tough afternoon shooting in the SunDome, hitting 4-of-17 shots and leading the Riders with 10 points.

“A little paralysis in the dome again,” Poindexter said. “We forgot what we needed to do. Too much standing, not enough hard cuts, not enough effective dribble atttacks until the second half.”

Mikkiah Stevens was a bright spot, scoring seven points in her final game for Port Angeles.

“She really came on down the stretch,” Poindexter said.

Fellow senior Kenzie Moses scored a bucket in her last appearance and Manson also wrapped her Riders’ hoops career.

“The seniors are a group with high standards and high expectations,” Poindexter said. They’ve displayed great character and have been great teammates.”

Port Angeles players expected to return include junior Morgan Politika and sophomores Sariah Doherty, London Bourland, Maddie Walton and Storey Schmidt. A contingent of talented eighth grade players are expected to compete for varsity time in 2026-27.

“I think we will be a great defensive team that will surprise people offensively,” Poindexter said.

ATM 53, Port Angeles 29

PA 4 5 10 10 — 29

ATM 20 10 8 15 — 53

Port Angeles (29) — Smith 10, Stevens 7, Doherty 4, Moses 2, Politika 2, Clark, Schmidt, Manson, Walton, Long.